French Art School - Part 4

Each time I pick up writing about my time at French Art School, I feel slightly concerned that

I will not be able to recall details and memories of my adventures. However, as soon as I look at my journal and browse the photos of my time in France, it all comes back to life in vivid detail.

Every day was jam packed with exploration, indulgence, and painting, so time flew by fast, but at the same time I was mindful of taking in every moment and making the most of it.

By now I had reached the halfway mark and was still barely able to believe it was all real! I'd been to Paris and fallen in love with this beautiful city despite being so sure that I would hate the busyness and noise, and now I was in the centre of France, existing in another time and place, or so it seemed. And today, our little group were off to see more of the sites – villages, markets, and gardens.

The day once again was cold and rainy day, but we were hopeful for some reprieve since there had been plenty of breaks in the weather to accommodate our daily ramblings on other days.

We all bundled into our shuttle bus ready for the journey ahead. The countryside was lush, fresh, and green. 

The Village That Time Forgot  

Our first stop was a small village - which seem to operate on its own time schedule. Life was not rushed, and opening times were not for the convenience of tourists! We were hoping for a warm place to get a coffee, instead, the local stores were only starting to open as we arrived. So, alas, no coffee, BUT there were brocantes!

First up a lovely little place devoted to glassware and crockery. A few new treasures were collected amongst our group, including a beautiful set of dinner plates and what appeared to be a teeny, tiny glass cake stand. But it was the next store that ‘had me at hello’. Keep in mind, I was freezing cold here... Our new find was a little store of mostly second-hand clothing, and amongst the pre-loved castaways were many hidden gems.

It was a real vintage-clothing-lover's dream. There was garment racks stuffed full to overflowing, old sets of drawers with buttons and beads, clasps and pins, pantihose and more. Treasures that came in the form of old hats hanging from hooks on the wall, and gloves tucked away in drawers just waiting to be discovered if you would take the time to rummage through. From that moment my day improved rather dramatically! One, because I procured a rather cute maroon hat and black vinyl gloves with white trim, and two – I now had extra layers of very much appreciated warmth!

An Unexpected Adventure... 

Soon we were back on the road, and since we were in the area, we jumped at the opportunity to cruise by Château De Lalande – the star attraction of a popular renovation show. Fate, however, had other plans. Trigger warning for some – but not me. I was still punch drunk on the fact that I was in France and was not to be swayed by any mischief coming my way. 

Firstly – does anyone remember the 'Mere Male’ column in one of the women's magazines? Terribly sexist, but also incredibly funny to read some of the anecdotes. Anyway, let's call Mr Bus Driver, “MM” for the purpose of this story. It all started with a wrong turn down a country road following a misleading GPS which soon led to disaster. 

Setting the scene – we are in a bus full of female passengers, and not just any females – smart, cluey people, with some having had the joy of growing up in the country. So, our group well and truly possessed the foresight of what was about to occur… MM disregards the lively warnings from his passengers much to his own detriment. Everything is fine he says, we will turn around up here – and he proceeded to manoeuvre our bus off the road and directly onto a low-lying grassy field.

No MM – everything is not fine. Heavy bus on wet, spongy grass equals bogging. We were astounded. Especially when this was ensued with much reversing and moving forward again, trying to gain purchase, but all the while ensuring that we were in fact properly bogged!

After much denial and realisation that one man cannot extract a large shuttle bus alone, help was called in. Imagine our surprise when a very confident looking 4x2 rear wheel drive pick-up truck came flying up the road... No, surely, he's not going to do it. He is going to stop on the surfaced road... Nope. He is going to do it - and yes ladies and gentlemen, he proceeded to also become properly bogged in the grassy quagmire! Let’s just say heavy buses, non-4WDs, and spongy wet grass do not mix. 😂 

I couldn't be upset about this situation because it was way too funny to behold - not to mention, we had a delectable fruit flan on board, which certainly lifted everyone's spirits. All’s well that ends well - a tractor came to rescue the bus and pick-up truck – thankfully, it did not get bogged, and another shuttle bus came to rescue us and once again we were on our way!

Market Treasures and Still Life Inspirations 

Our next destination was La Châtre, where although we arrived as the market was wrapping up, we still managed to locate some essentials for our upcoming still life painting ventures, procuring mackerel, bread loaves, oranges and more! 

We dispersed in all directions, but when yet another brocante was spotted, a few of us beelined in that direction. This town is home to Jour d’Occase - another little antiquity store to which we managed to arrive just in time! The market was over, so the owner was ready for home. There is never enough time to pore over these little, but abundantly stocked places! In hindsight, I wish I would have walked through this tiny shop with my video recording! There is no way to absorb all that surrounds you…tableware, lampshades, questionable statues, bottles, old cameras, tins, baskets, trinkets, clothing, and centuries old dust particles and a delicious mustiness in the air.

The day had been a little bit hard to handle for some, with the bitter cold and series of challenging events. We managed to find the rest of the group in time for lunch at a cafe style restaurant and enjoy some much-needed comfort food and cozy warmth. A lovely sit-down lunch and a quick look through the L'Instant Goû'thé (a beautiful specialty shop of tea, coffee, and chocolate, plus more...), and we were back on the road with lifted spirits.

Spring's First Whispers in a Historic Garden

Our final stop was the icing on the cake... Les Jardins du Prieuré d’Orsan (aka The Gardens of the Priory of Orsan) - spectacular gardens that are beautifully maintained - there is a secret garden around every corner. This property dates to the twelfth century and has seen prosperity, destruction, and reemergence over the ages.

The buildings as they are now, were rebuilt in the sixteenth century and have survived and undergone renovation and preservation. Everything is lush, green, and thoughtfully designed. There are vegetable gardens, herbs, flowers, and orchards, not to forget roses, gorgeous peonies, and THE largest white poppies I have ever seen, that were all just starting to make their spring debut. The garden itself is a monument to nature, embracing traditional gardening techniques and is pesticide free!

To top it off, there was a wonderful little gift shop where I proceeded to spend about thirty euros on the most beautiful greeting cards (that are bound to be framed). I highly recommend visiting if you find yourself in central France, and I hope to go back there one day. 

By that evening, we were a very tired group of artists and have never been so appreciative of a hearty, home cooked meal - which was made even better with a super treat of raclette cheese over our potatoes... The perfect end to the day!

Welcome to my online gallery 

My name is Vanessa Osborne, and I am an artist from Adelaide, South Australia, specialising in large scale floral paintings. The products of my inspiration can be viewed in my online Gallery.  

Visit my website at www.vanessaosborneart.com  

You can see more content on my social media sites for Vanessa Osborne Art. 

If you have any questions about my paintings, please don't hesitate to email me at vanessaosborneart@gmail.com